There’s a trend in the media these days to present the world as an utter shit show but every now and again a story comes about that reminds you that the world isn’t really that bad a place.
Take this compassionate server from the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) in Springfield, Illinois who reminded everyone that no act of kindness however small is wasted by helping a disabled woman eat her breakfast.
This allowed her husband, who apparently normally feeds his wife before eating his own food, to eat his own breakfast warm for once.
The remarkable moment was captured by Keisha Dotson who snapped a photo of IHOP server Joe Thomas, 43, helping the woman as she sat across from her husband.
She then shared the picture on IHOP’s Facebook page and the image has gone viral.
Keisha wrote:
Today…I witnessed a very touching moment involving one of your servers,’ Dotson wrote. ‘A man and disabled women were dining, and your server sat down with them and proceeded to help feed the disabled woman while her companion enjoyed his food. My faith in humanity has been restored a little today.
Despite heaps of praise from people online Joe doesn’t think what he did was particularly remarkable. He told WAND-TV that the company come in every Saturday and that his mother and father taught him to treat everybody as equals, no matter what race, creed or colour.
Knowing that the woman suffers the degenerative brain disease, Huntington’s disease, he decided that rather than her husband feeding her he’d step in so the man too could enjoy a warm meal.
He said:
I always see him stop eating to feed her and I was like ‘heck if I’m not doing anything why don’t I go feed her so he can eat and everyone can be happy?’ I didn’t really offer. I just started doing it, I told the gentleman ‘Sit down, eat your food. I got her’.
WAND-TV
After the photo went viral Thomas began to receive an incredible outpouring of support from people online and he explained how it felt good for people to take notice of his kindness not because he wants recognition but because this is how we should all behave.
Joe’s co-workers have also paid tribute to their hard working colleague adding that he’s been doing it for a long time with these customers and that he feeds the woman every time she comes in.
What a guy, almost brings a tear to my eye.
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.